I have been a member of a lot of teams. From my early
gymnastics, dance, and cheerleading days to my professional career and even my
academic pursuits, I have seen a lot of action as a team member. I have been on
two teams that have won three national dance titles total and also teams that had
more rocky times than not. Collaboration and working as a cohesive unit is an
important part of our lives. Even our family lives reflect a team atmosphere. I
am lucky that I have had a lot of experience working with others and that many
of those moments were positive. Typically I know who I am as a team member, or
at least, who I like to be.
There are two main types of roles that enhance team
performance: task-facilitating roles and relationship-building roles according
to Schein’s work (as cited in Whetten & Cameron, 2011). I have been both
and there are moments when there are shades of each whether you are one or the other, but I am most comfortable
as a relationship-builder. It is a natural extension of my personality and what
I base the notion of my cheerleadership upon.
“Work teams face two main challenges: accomplishing the task
that has been assigned and building unity and collaboration among the team
member” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 512). Each member has an impact and
influence of the team. In order to keep the momentum moving forward and staying
on task there needs to be at least one task facilitator. It is a position that
I did not understand that well until more recently. I used to think: wow, try
lightening up every once in a while. That is, until everyone was too lightened
up and I became the task facilitator. While it is a necessary role it is not
the one in which I am most natural. My current work team is a lucky because our
Team Lead has an innate focus and a skilled command of monitoring, process
analyzing, urging, and information giving (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). Without
her we might turn into the circus. I say thing with levity, though we like to
have as much fun as we like to work hard.
Most of my teammates are fairly serious and also task
oriented. I feel this is a great thing and we are lucky to have these strong members. “Without
both task-facilitating and relationship-building roles, team members struggle to
perform effectively. Some members must ensure that the team accomplishes its
tasks, while others must ensure that member remain bonded together
interpersonally” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 515).
This is where I come in! I am the goofy team member. I will be
the first to get excited about something and verbalize it. I have been told
that I have an energizing presence. Supporting, harmonizing, and tension
reliving are my specialties. I am always trying to add sparkle to each day whether we are working in our cubicles or meeting as a team. I strive to create inclusion for everyone and also maintain the happiness of what we do.
When I joined the team I had to find the place
that I fit within the dynamic. This was less obvious to me as a new member because I simply
found that it was easy to be myself. I did not have any other perspective of what the team was like before I was there. My director told me in one of my
performance reviews that I bring new life to the team and enliven and
invigorate us as a group. That is a pretty high compliment in my book. I do not
take my relationship building role lightly. It has importance. The friendships
and relationships we build at work can factor into extrinsic motivation.
One of my favorite and best known efforts is my enrollment
game. This started out as something I did for myself to make sure I was not
falling behind. Then I would playfully engage my Team Lead since she sits
across the aisle from me. We went back and forth for months. Eventually we
mentioned this when we were told to generate ideas that would benefit the team.
I am the “keeper of the game” and come up with the number each week for the
target goal. In the same stream of thought as Who’s Line is it Any Way I tell
everyone that the points don’t matter and everything is made up. I want to make
sure the game stays fun. Obviously how well we do every week contributes to our
productivity goals that we are given and this is something that without the
game we have to do anyway, but I try to add flair to engage the team in our
mission.
In the beginning I
was asked what happens if you make the target and what happens if you don’t. My
answer is simple. You get a sticker if you make it and if you don’t you win a
chance to play again the next week, but with a gameshow host voice. I even
bought stickers from the Target dollar bin because it is nice to have something
tangible if you win. My Team Lead and I have also been in discussion about
taking the game to the next level. I want to get a small “treasure chest” and
fill it with dollar bin office supplies like window clings for our cubicles,
dry eraser colored markers and such. Whatever it takes to keep us going is
something I am excited about being a part of and this is a nice combination of
task-facilitating, which is why my Team Lead is a supporter, and
relationship-building, which I like because there can be more than one winner
every week. As a team you win by making it together. It takes each of us to get
there and that spirit is captured in this small gesture.
Reference: Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing management skills (8th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
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